Luke Perry

Actor

THE ACTOR Luke Perry, who has died at 52 following a stroke, captured the hearts of many a young viewer with his portrayal of the rebellious but lovable Dylan McKay in the series Beverly Hills, 90210.

So ubiquitous was his presence in the 1990s that at times the public found it difficult to separate him from his character, and he was frequently compared to his 1950s counterpart, James Dean.

He was born Coy Luther Perry III in Mansfield, Ohio, to a steelworker father and housewife mother. His relationship with his father remained strained until his death in 1980 following a heart attack. It was his stepfather, a construction worker, to whom looked as a role model. After finishing school he spent time in both Los Angeles and New York, taking work as a paver between auditions. Eventually, he won a part in the video for an Alice Cooper song, and appeared in daytime TV soap operas.

His break came when he was cast in Aaron Spelling’s series about teenagers in Beverly Hills. Playing the brooding son of a millionaire, he became a household name.

Two years later, Perry won a supporting role in the film version of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

But he did not find the career breakthrough for which he longed, and returned to his role as McKay in 1998 to pay the bills.

He continued to appear regularly on TV during the next two decades, but was not part of a 2009 Beverly Hills revival.

He did, however, take cameo roles in The Simpsons and took to the stage in a Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show in 2004.

Ironically, he would eventually find the steady television work he craved in Riverdale, a programme that knowingly, often overtly, referenced the teen dramas he had helped pioneer.

He married the actress Rachel Sharp in 1993 and they had two children, Jack and Sophie, before parting in 2003.